It’s a bird-eat-bird world out there.
Our national bird (which was only made official recently, interestingly enough) brings about a sense of patriotism, does it not? Bald eagles are some of the most beautiful and majestic birds on the entire planet. But have you ever heard them described as a “vulture with a good PR agent?”
Like vultures, bald eagles tend to be opportunistic hunters. Sure, they’ll hunt something down if they absolutely need to in order to survive, though they’ll just as likely take a couple of bites out of something that’s already been captured and killed. They’ve also been known to steal captured fish and other small prey right out of the hands/claws/talons of other creatures.
Funny enough, they prefer to not work very hard for their own food.
By no means am I trying to take away the luster from the bald eagle. I’ve had a tear come to my eye seeing one fly through the sky in person just like the rest of you. I’m just doing my best to inform you on what a bald eagle really is, and I’ll be the first to admit that even though they typically go for easy meals, they’ve got the power and ability to go get their own dinner whenever they want.
Take this video below, for example. Photographer Mike J. Dukarm has captured bald eagles in action for quite some time, so there’s probably nothing he hasn’t already seen. And thanks to his work and dedication, we all get to see the large birds of prey through the various photos and videos he posts to his social media accounts.
In this one, the photographer was able to get a breathtaking video of a bald eagle swooping down to sink its talons into an unsuspecting duck that was floating on the water. Bald eagles have some of the sharpest talons of all predatory birds, and their exceptional eyesight (which allows them to spot prey up to 2 miles away) really supports the phrase “eagled eyed.” That saying had to come from somewhere, didn’t it?
Eagles typically have to depend on their exceptional vision when they are fishing for prey under water. This time around, the snack the bald eagle was interested in was floating just above the water line, and the predatory bird saw that as the perfect opportunity to use its speed and hunting ability in a surprise attack.
It truly looks like the duck never even knew what hit it. One second it was floating around in the current of the water, and the next it was flying – but not under its own power. The bald eagle appears to have really sunk its talons into the bird, rendering the prey’s own wings useless. We don’t get to see how the battle of the birds ends (if you could even call it that), but one could assume that the bald eagle had some fresh duck for dinner.
“Might be tough for some but for me it’s just another morning with the eagles!”
Take a look:
Some more of Mike J Dukarm’s fantastic work… give him a follow:
